


The Cruise

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Times, Humor, M/M, Pre-Slash, Romance, challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 09:57:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/797006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair wins tickets for a cruise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cruise

## The Cruise

#### by Spikedluv

Author's website: <http://spikedluv.net>  
Jim and Blair belong to me. *shifty eyes* What do you mean they don't belong to me?!!  
Thanks to Tammy and Karen for the beta.  
Written March 31, 2005 for Sentinel Secrets: Blair and Jim are away from Cascade. And no, it's not camping in the mountains around Cascade! They are truly away from the Northwest. They can be on vacation, on a case, hunting down Naomi, or going to a lecture that Blair is dragging him to. But get them away from their home territory.  


* * *

"Oh, man, this is _great_!" Blair exclaimed, bouncing as he peered out the porthole. "Isn't it great, Jim?" 

"Yeah, Chief, it's great," Jim replied dryly as he hung up the dress clothes he'd brought and unpacked his bag. "Why don't you hang up your suit before it wrinkles?" 

"Jim! I can't _believe_ you, man! We're going on a _cruise_ and all you can think about is wrinkles?" 

"You'll be thinking about wrinkles tomorrow, junior, when you pull out your suit for dinner," Jim warned with a tolerant smile. "And don't even think about asking me to iron it for you." 

"Fine, slavedriver," Blair muttered under his breath as he moved away from the porthole. 

"What was that, Chief? Didn't hear you," Jim teased. 

"Yeah, right." Blair squeezed past Jim and got his suit out of the bag. 

"Could they have made these cabins any smaller?" Jim asked. 

"You're not going to complain the whole time we're here, are you?" Blair asked. 

"I'm not complaining," Jim denied, walking over to the porthole to glance out as he folded his bag up. "I'm just saying." 

"Whatever, man. We're only going to be in here to sleep, anyway. We'll be out there...." Blair gestured wildly with his hand. "...most of the time." 

Jim stored the bag and flopped down on his bed. "Just don't be thinking you're gonna pick up some babe and bring her back here." 

"I'm not," Blair said, and Jim shot him a surprised look. "Come on, let's go back up on deck so we can wave goodbye." 

"There's gonna be a lot of people up there, Chief," Jim reminded him. 

"You have to," Blair insisted. "It's tradition. Besides, you've got your earplugs if it gets too bad." 

"You're all heart, Sandburg," Jim groused as he sat up. 

* * *

After waving goodbye to everyone standing on the shore, and participating in the safety drill, Jim and Blair were back in their cabin reviewing the weekend itinerary and planning their activities for the evening. 

"No formal dinner tonight," Blair said. "Just a buffet in the main dining hall, or we can eat at one of the restaurants. Later on there's a jazz band, a poker tournament.... Ah, a sports bar! But I doubt they'd have the Jags on. The weight room's open all night. Oh, hey, you could get a massage!" Blair grinned. "Hello, I am Helga," he intoned deeply, "I will be your...." 

"Or Sven," Jim interjected. Blair burst out laughing, but it sounded a little forced to Jim's ears. 

They took turns in the bathroom to change out of their travel clothes and into casual wear, and then headed out. Before going to the buffet, they went up onto the deck. The sun was just above the horizon and the sky was a stunning combination of blues and pinks above the darker blueblack of the ocean. 

"Oh, man, that's beautiful," Blair said, awed. "Hey, Jim, you're okay, right?" 

"Yeah, Chief, I'm fine. As long as the water stays calm, I think we're on a big enough ship that I can pretend we're not in the middle of the ocean." 

"With no land in sight," Blair added. 

"You're not helping, Sandburg." 

Blair smiled, then looked back out over the water. "Too bad we didn't bring the camera up," he said wistfully. 

"Would you like a picture of the sunset?" a female voice spoke from behind them. 

Blair turned back and saw a young woman, whose name tag read 'Tanya', carrying a basket of disposable cameras, as well as sun screen, sunglasses, aspirin packets, and other sundry items. 

"Oh, wow, man, that's perfect!" Blair snatched up one of the cameras. "Thank you. Got any money, Jim?" 

Jim rolled his eyes and paid for the camera. 

"Why don't I take a picture of the two of you in front of the sunset?" Tanya suggested. 

"We don't want to put you out," Jim said. 

"It's no trouble," she assured them, and took the camera Blair held back out to her. 

"That is so cool! Thanks." 

Tanya stepped back and lifted the camera to her eye. "Step a little closer," she told them. 

Blair and Jim both sidled closer, and Jim put his arm around Blair's shoulders. They smiled for the camera and, after it flashed, grinned at each other. Blair was oblivious to it, but Jim both heard and saw when Tanya kept clicking the camera. He turned his devastating smile on her and she blushed. 

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Don't worry, I didn't waste the film. You'll love 'em." She handed the camera back to Blair who looked after her with a confused expression. 

"What do you think she meant by that, Jim?" 

"I'm not sure, Chief. She must've gotten some great shots of the sunset." After a moment of reflection, Jim said, "You ready to go check out that buffet?" 

Blair rubbed his stomach and smiled happily. "Oh, yeah, man!" 

"Let's go, Chief." Jim put his hand on Blair's shoulder and steered him toward the stairs. 

"Hey, Jim!" Blair patted Jim's stomach. "Look at those two girls over there. I think they're checking us out." 

Jim looked over to where two young women were indeed checking them out and smiling broadly. "I think you're right, Chief." Jim listened to the girls' conversation, then tousled Blair's hair. "The blonde thinks you're cute." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah." He listened some more. "The other one thinks we.... Hmm." 

"What?" 

"Make a cute couple," Jim told him. 

"What? She thinks we're a couple?" Blair asked, looking completely flummoxed, and a little flushed. 

"Cute couple." Jim shrugged at Blair's expression. "That's what she said." 

"Why would she think that?" 

"Got me, Chief," Jim said, sliding his hand down to Blair's lower back and letting Blair precede him down the stairs. 

* * *

When Jim and Blair arrived in the dining hall it was crowded. Jim caught snatches of conversation as they waited in the buffet line, and watched the groups of people surrounding them curiously. As they moved through the line, he caught sight of a large banner at the other end of the hall that had been behind him when they first entered the room. Suddenly everything he'd seen and heard since coming aboard made sense. 

"Uh, Chief?" 

"Yeah, Jim?" Blair replied distractedly as he tried to catch a glimpse of the buffet tables. 

"How well did you read the information on the cruise?" 

Blair shrugged. "A weekend cruise. It was for a good cause, so I bought some raffle tickets. Why?" 

"What was the cause again?" Jim asked, though he knew full well what it was. 

"The GLBT," Blair said, frowning at Jim. "You couldn't have forgotten that." 

"No, I didn't. Look." Jim pointed, and Blair turned his head. 

"Oh." The sign Jim pointed out to him read, "Welcome GLBT & Friends". "Hmm, well, would you look at that. You, um.... That doesn't bother you, does it, Jim?" 

"You really didn't know?" 

Blair gave a nervous laugh. "I guess I missed the fine print." 

Blair's heart was beating a little faster than normal, but not fast enough that Jim thought he was _obfuscating_. Jim shook his head. "Only you, Chief. Only you." 

* * *

The bar hosting the jazz band was crowded, but Jim and Blair had arrived early enough to snag seats at a small table far away from the stage in deference to Jim's senses. Blair had spent most of the evening since their discovery of the type of cruise they were on openly checking out the couples around them. 

He leaned close to Jim so he wouldn't be overheard. "Do you think there are singles on this cruise?" 

Jim shrugged. "Probably." 

After that, Jim watched Blair while Blair people-watched. He knew Blair wasn't looking for someone to pick up, if only because of the logistics of having no place to take her. Not to mention the fact that there was a 99% chance that the single women on this cruise were lesbian. That made him wonder if Blair was looking at the portion of the cruise population who _did_ like men. The jazz band started playing, and the waitress refreshed their drinks, but Jim's attention was focused on Blair. 

When the band took a break, Blair went to the bathroom and Jim caught the waitress' attention for another round of drinks. While he was waiting for the waitress to return, Jim leaned back in his chair and scanned the crowd. A couple minutes later he noticed Blair making his way across the room and automatically kept track of his progress. He wasn't normally surprised to see heads turn when Blair walked past, but he was tonight when he realized that they were all men. And they were staring at Blair's ass. 

Blair looked up and grinned at Jim as he slid through the last of the crowd and dropped into the seat beside him. Jim couldn't help but smile back, even though he was in a state of mild shock, suddenly seeing Blair as those other men saw him. The waitress appeared and set their fresh drinks down, removing their empty glasses. 

Blair smiled at her, and then turned that smile on Jim. "Thanks, man," he said, raising his glass and taking a drink. 

"You're welcome. But that's it, junior; I'm not carrying your ass back to the cabin." 

Blair scoffed, "Like you'd need to! I'd probably end up dragging your carcass back." 

"Carcass?" Jim growled. Blair ignored it like he always did. 

Jim looked up when the lights dimmed and the band took the stage once more. His eyes met the eyes of one of Blair's many admirers. He felt an unexpected surge of jealousy. Jim looked the man up and down, and then placed his arm possessively across the back of Blair's chair. Blair turned to look at him. 

"What's up?" 

"Nothing." Jim scooted his chair closer to the table, and ultimately closer to Blair. "Just getting comfortable," he said into Blair's ear as he leaned into Blair's space. He sat back and stretched out his legs, his arm still slung companionably behind Blair's shoulders. 

"Uh, okay," Blair said, not looking totally convinced. 

"Watch the show, Chief," Jim prompted. 

Still frowning suspiciously, Blair turned back to the stage. Blair sat forward in his chair, his body was completely animated as he moved with the beat. Soon, however, the long day and all the traveling they'd done took its toll, sapping Blair's energy. He slumped in his chair and rested his head back against Jim's arm. 

Jim leaned close to Blair so he could speak directly into his ear. "You okay, Chief?" 

Blair turned his head and smiled sleepily. Vivid blue eyes bore into Jim's. "'M fine, Jim. Jus' a little tired." 

Jim's breath caught in his throat. He knew he needed to pull back, but he couldn't move. And then he _was_ moving, lowering his head as he shifted his hand to Blair's neck and used his fingers to tilt Blair's chin up. 

"Jim?" Blair asked softly. His heart was beating loud enough for Jim to hear it over the music and crowd noise. 

"Blair," Jim whispered, and then his lips touched Blair's. 

"Jim...," Blair moaned. He lifted his hand to Jim's shoulder and parted his lips, flicking his tongue gently, eagerly against Jim's lips. Jim groaned, then opened his mouth to Blair's exploration. Blair's hand slid to the back of Jim's head, holding him in place as he deepened the kiss. 

Jim lifted his head and looked down into dazed blue eyes that held a hint of guilt. Jim narrowed his eyes. "You little shit," he whispered, his own hand going into Blair's hair and tilting his head back. "You knew." And then he kissed Blair once more, hard, desperate, as if he'd never get the opportunity to do it again. 

When Jim pulled away this time, Blair's lips were swollen and he looked completely ravaged. He licked his lips nervously. "I'm a PhD candidate, Jim, of course I read the fine print! A-are you mad?" he asked. 

"What exactly did you expect was going to happen?" Jim asked, not ready to let Blair off the hook. 

"Nothing," Blair assured him. At Jim's look of disbelief he added, "Well, I _hoped_." 

"Then what did you _hope_ would happen?" 

"Lots of things," Blair answered breathlessly. "I researched it." 

Jim grinned. Some things never changed. "Of course you did." And then he kissed Blair again. 

* * *

End The Cruise by Spikedluv: spikedluv@usadatanet.net  
Author and story notes above.

  
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